Just the Six of Us Bk. 02 Ch. 07

Eventually, they had stopped at another of his fellow Marine's residences. This was one of the ones that had been injured but had survived. The young man was cheerful, despite his obvious injuries, and it did Mike wonders to see how well he was doing. They spent several hours catching up and talking, and she was happy to see the two hug each other before she and Mike left.

From there, they again made their way slowly toward the next stop; another Marine that had been injured but had survived. Though the second visit hadn't gone as well as the first, it was still good for Mike to talk with his fellow Marine and see that he was doing okay, despite having a hard road ahead of him.

She and Mike busied themselves with sightseeing and enjoying each other's company. Max was a delightful distraction, the fat little drool monster always a source of good fun for the two.

Sex happened often between the two siblings, save for when she had her period of course. They spent several more days driving and enjoying the local scenery as they made their way northwest to visit the third wounded survivor. This visit had gone more like the first survivor's had, and Danni was able to breathe a sigh of relief when it did.

Still, she knew that they still had two visits left, and she didn't have much hope that they were going to go well. From what she knew, they were going to first visit the wife of Andrew Wilkins, the other Marine that had been killed. She was personally dreading that visit, just because of who it was and the potential havoc it would wreak on Mike. The last visit was to be with someone Mike had referred to as "Burnsey". She knew that he'd survived but didn't know very many details beyond that. She wasn't about to press him for details of course, so no information was gleaned on the matter.

All she could do was worry.

They'd arrived in Andrew Wilkin's hometown the night before and Mike had been a nervous wreck. She was genuinely surprised that he'd initiated sex that morning but decided to take it as a good sign.

She got herself ready, then took Max out for a walk before returning and finding Mike in the shower. She greeted him with a smile and a kiss when he emerged, and the two quickly set about getting Max packed up and ready to go.

After grabbing a bite to eat, Mike gave Wilkins' wife a call to let her know that they would be there soon. They pulled up a little later along the curb of a modest house with a picturesque white picket fence.

Danni glanced over, seeing Mike staring over at the door before taking a deep breath and looking at her.

"I'm going to be right next to you, okay?" A hand softly resting on his own punctuated the comforting words.

He nodded and offered her a conciliatory smile.

The visit started better than she'd hoped. Jamie Wilkins greeted them warmly at her door, smiling and offering both a hug. She ushered them in and offered them refreshment, which both gratefully declined.

Polite conversion followed until a silence descended on the three.

After a bit, Jamie lowered her head and covered her face. Danni felt her heart breaking a little for the unfortunate soul. She chanced a look over at Mike and saw him patiently sitting there.

"If there's anything you want to ask, I'll do my best to answer what I can."

She'd heard him say the words several times now in the other visits. It didn't look like it was any easier for him to say, and it definitely wasn't easy for the other person to hear.

The young widow's shoulders bobbed silently with her face buried in her hands.

"I just miss him so much," she said quietly. "It's just not fair."

Another long break of silence followed, the sound of Danni's heart pounding in her chest filling her ears as a clock ticked away on the wall.

"I wish..." Mike began, but then sighed.

"Wish what?" the young woman said. "Wish he was here?"

Danni looked up, surprised. The widow looked suddenly angry.

"He's not coming back!" she yelled. "The love of my life is dead and he's not fucking coming back!"

Mike didn't move, didn't flinch, and didn't turn away.

"Do you wish you could take his place?" she spat. "SO DO I!" she screamed. "Its not fucking fair. We had a plan! We were going to have a family together! He was almost done with that fucking place and he was going to come home! I'm just so... heartbroken. I'm so fucking angry. GOD I'm so angry!"

Mike nodded, watching quietly and taking the verbal assault.

"WHY? WHY WHY WHY? WHY DOES SHE GET TO HAVE YOU AND I LOSE MY HUSBAND!" As she spoke, Jamie turned and shot an accusatory finger at Danni.

The woman stood quickly, then stomped forward a few steps. Mike continued to stare quietly, letting her vent her frustration and rage at the impotence of everything she wanted to do but couldn't.

"IT CAN'T BE LIKE THIS! IT JUST CAN'T!"

She stepped closer as she continued to rage, causing Mike to stand up as she reached him. He didn't speak though, still silently watching with nothing but understanding and regret in his eyes.

In a flash, she reached up and slapped him across the face, then again, then stood glaring angrily as if she were waiting for something. He didn't move, accepting both of them and turning back to face her as his cheeks reddened from the impacts.

She burst out into sobs again, covering her face with her hands and falling to her knees.

Mike knelt, gently lifting her up as she wept and pulled her into a hug, his strong arms wrapping around her and holding her against him. Her fists briefly pounded at him, but after a few seconds she buried her face in his chest and sobbed unabashedly.

Eventually the bereaved woman managed to collect herself and sat down on her chair. Mike and Danni made polite conversation after that, but it was still extremely tense with the poor widow only half-trying at being involved.

The two said their goodbyes a little later and excused themselves. As they were about to open the door to leave, Mike paused and turned, taking a deep breath.

"I lost two brothers that day," he said quietly, causing the young widow to look up at him through tear-rimmed eyes. "There isn't a day that goes by that I don't play that day back over in my head, wondering if there was something I could have done differently. But there's nothing I can do to change it. If I could take your husband's place, I would. But I can't. All I can do is say that I'm sorry and I wish things were different. I know it probably doesn't help any, but Andy was protecting me while I tended to another of our brothers that had been hit. We were taking fire, so I knew I had to pick him up and your husband was right there with me, covering me and shielding the two of us with his body. He made sure we made it to cover and even checked on me to make sure I was okay when it happened. And then just like that," he said, raising a hand and snapping his fingers, "another of my brothers was gone. There's not a day that goes by that I don't feel guilty about what happened. What I can tell you for certain is that, as a Marine, the reason we do what we do is for the man standing next to us. It's the most important thing that we do, protecting each other. Andy died living up to that standard, and that's all any Marine can ever ask."

Danni was watching the bereaved young woman closely, expecting her to burst out in tears or maybe rush Mike and slap him again, but she didn't. The sad, exhausted look still clung to her, but she was listening intently to everything he was saying.

Danni glanced up at her brother and felt a surge of pity, seeing a tear rolling down his cheek and another slowly following. He cleared his throat and steeled his gaze and seemed to be refusing to wipe the tears away.

"If you ever need anything, give me a call."

He started to turn once again but paused as Jamie stood and walked over, then wrapped him in a hug.

***

A few minutes later they were in his truck, heading back to the hotel room for the evening. Danni had slid over in the seat to sit next to him, her head leaning over into his shoulder and a hand stroking his arm comfortingly.

She didn't speak on the drive back to the hotel, nor in the room. Instead, she took Max out of his cage and briefly took him outside to relieve himself, then went in and sat on the ground to play with him.

She knew that she had to be there for him, in whatever capacity he needed. She briefly considered playing the role of needy girlfriend to give him something else to focus on but didn't want things to get awkward if he wasn't in the mood to deal with that.

After a few minutes, Mike got up from where he'd been laying on the bed and came over to sit next to Danni on the floor. She smiled when she looked up and saw him smirk at Max, then raise a hand and tease it towards the pooch and entice a half-hearted snap at it.

Watching him quietly, she felt her unease fading as she sensed that he was doing okay.

They played with Max for a little while longer, then ordered some food for dinner. Eating in bed while flipping through the channels, they spent a quiet evening relaxing and spending time together, then fell asleep to the sound of Max snoring.

***

The next morning, Danni was happy to feel Mike start to kiss her shoulder and neck, but he stopped quickly and went to take a shower. She gave him a few minutes to himself, then went and joined him, the two easily slipping into each other's arms and starting to make love.

She leaned forward for him, presenting herself as she put her arms on the wall in front of her. His hands moved to her hips as he gently urged himself inside. A groan of pleasure fell from her opened lips, soft slaps echoing in the room as he began to fuck her.

After a pair of delightful orgasms for herself, he filled her aching pussy with his warm load and let his cock slowly fall free. The two embraced affectionately for a bit longer before they rinsed each other clean and toweled off.

They got dressed quickly, though they weren't in any real hurry. Mike took Max for his walk, then caged him before they stepped out for breakfast.

They found a nice local restaurant that seemed popular and went inside to order. A waitress came by after they found a table and handed them menus, then took their drink order cheerfully before disappearing once again.

Danni briefly looked at the menu, deciding what she wanted and setting the menu to the side, then glanced around at the other people in the room. Most were families or individuals, though one couple in particular caught her eye.

They were both elderly, the man slightly overweight and the woman slightly hunched, but that wasn't what had drawn her gaze. The two were clearly enamored with one another. They were talking animatedly, the man smiling at his wife as she spoke, then her doing the same as he replied. Each had a hand reaching out across the table, grasping at the fingers of the other.

They were adorable.

She felt a tinge of envy at the sight of the two being so sweet with one another, but then glanced at Mike as he continued to look through the menu and reminded herself just how lucky she was. She had him and she wasn't going to let him get away again.

The waitress came back a little later and took their order, then disappeared once more. Danni and Mike both stayed relatively quiet, each seeming content to just enjoy the morning and each other's company as they watched the other folks in the restaurant.

The idea of the elderly couple being so happy to be together in their old age was very appealing for her. She tried to picture herself growing old, then added Mike to the image that she'd conjured in her mind. A sudden thought came to her then as she wondered if Emma would be there, somewhere.

She loved her little sister, that was certain. It was beyond a sisterly love since the two had become intimate, but she felt sure that she loved her brother more. She glanced back over at the older couple again.

Could she really expect to be able to live like that with her sibling? Part of her wanted to just throw caution to the wind and say, "to hell with whomever has a problem with it", but another, more sensible part knew that going down that road with her siblings presented very real challenges.

She wasn't ashamed to be in an incestuous relationship by any means, but it wasn't like they were going to be announcing it to the world. People were bound to find out, though, and that was undeniably scary.

Plus, relationships were hard. Was she really wanting to add to the difficulty of maintaining a relationship with one sibling as well as adding another to it? And what about Sarah and Beth? They had the potential to complicate things even further.

She realized then that she truly wanted what the older couple had. She wanted to grow old with someone at her side. Doing that with Emma seemed appealing, but not as much as with Mike. Was it selfish of her to think that way? She honestly didn't know the answer.

The food came a short while later and the two ate, still just people-watching and enjoying the morning. Danni pushed the tangled thoughts from her mind and focused on the present. After they finished and paid, she cast one last look at the happy, older couple and slid her hand into Mike's as she followed him from out the door.

***

The two took it easy for the next couple of days, sight seeing as they drove. Their travels had taken them from Texas to Arkansas, over to Kansas, then to Colorado where Wilkin's widow was living. They were heading to New Mexico from there, then back home to Texas, but neither seemed to be in a big rush to get there.

They were heading to meet a Marine that Mike referred to as "Burnsey" though she'd heard him call him Rayburn as well. Mike didn't elaborate too much but did say that Burnsey had to use a wheelchair to get around but had been a jovial guy all-around. He'd added that he didn't know if that was still the case.

As always, she didn't pry, just listened attentively when he spoke about it.

They went to a few different places in Colorado and enjoyed the beauty and grandeur of the Rockies, Danni finding herself wishing that they would just keep driving, just the two of them.

She'd felt guilty of course, knowing that she couldn't rightly just disappear with her brother. It just seemed easier to keep him all to herself and away from a potential source of drama like her sisters were known to be.

Her sisters had seemed to be doing just fine when they'd last spoken, though.

*****

Sarah

"Oh come on, you said you would!"

Beth's shrill voice was enough to make Sarah immediately regret her earlier decision to forgo the evening that the blonde had planned along with Emma, not to mention the scowl on her face and the almost violent glare that she was receiving.

"Calm down, Bethy," Sarah said, frowning as she leaned a little to the left from her position on the couch. Doing so afforded her at least a partial view of the TV show she'd been watching. She ignored the drilling gaze and tried to focus, but Beth was relentless.

She looked back up eventually.

"I'm just tired, sweetie. It's nothing personal. Emma's still going with you, right?"

Footsteps behind and to the left signaled the youngest sibling's descent down the stairs and into the living room where Sarah was being glared at by a very unhappy Beth.

"I told you she'd 'bitch' out," Emma said, drawing a scowl from Sarah as she turned around.

"You're going," Beth snapped.

Sarah rolled her eyes and leaned even farther over to try and continue to enjoy her show.

"Saaaaaaarebear," Beth whined.

"Why? Why is it important that I go with you two? Just go without me. Find a couple of guys and go have an orgy."

"Seriously?"

Emma's comment caused her to turn and look to the left as she slid down to the couch. "We wanted to go out with you. You really need to change your mind."

Beth dropped her scowl and knelt down in front of her, her face going soft and doe eyed.

It wasn't that Sarah didn't want to go out with her sisters. It was just a lot of trouble when she'd already had sex with Beth twice that day on top of all of her never-ending housework. Not to mention that she'd have to get showered, shave her legs, do her hair and makeup, and all so that she could go and do something with her sisters that she could just as easily do at home. Plus, her boyfriend wasn't going to be there and she really had no interest in fending off the attention of the hungry men that always fought for Emma and Beth's attention when they went out.

"Why aren't you wanting to come?" Emma prodded.

Sarah sighed and idly picked at a nail as she endured the stares of her two sisters.

"Saaar..." Emma began.

"Because it's just a lot of hassle," she protested.

"Get up already," Beth said, then stood and reached out a hand. "You always give in and you know it."

Sarah hesitated a few more seconds, silently protesting and scrambling to think of a reason she couldn't go, but then groaned in irritation and started to stand as her two sisters cheered.

Reluctantly heading to shower, she cast a final scowl at Beth and Emma.

"Hurry up!" the younger of the two yelled.

***

The three of them had been hanging out all week and had even gone out dancing on Tuesday. Sarah felt too old for that sort of crap. She'd be turning 30 years old soon, though she honestly felt older than that at times.

She took a sip of her wine as the music thumped heavily all around her. Standing in place and barely moving enough to actually call it dancing, she found herself wishing that the three of them could just go back home already.

Beth and Emma were both dancing with each other, though each had a few guys around them. Beth was a ridiculous flirt and Sarah couldn't help but marvel at how much she'd changed since she was younger. The nerdy, shy, brilliant little bookworm that she'd grown to love as a mother-figure was gone, replaced by this tall, confident blonde goddess that didn't seem to have an ounce of shyness. She was still brilliant of course, though she'd also grown wise in things you couldn't find in a science book.

She watched in amused silence as her gorgeous, voluptuous sister playfully danced with one particularly handsome guy placing a hand on his chest tactfully before spinning around and raising her arms above her head and undulating up against a different one.

Emma was just as flirty, but Beth had it down to an art. The younger sister looked incredible, as always, but she wasn't nearly as adept at the flirting part as Beth. Still, guys would swarm around her the moment she and Beth parted from each other, or from Sarah herself.

She felt her own admirer sliding in closer behind her, the light touch of a hand on her hip making her roll her eyes. She turned and faced him, politely, dancing back a step to keep some distance. The guy stepped close again, though, so she just went with it and let him pull her to him a bit more. He was attractive, for sure, but she sensed a bit of arrogance about him that was a turnoff for her.

He haphazardly thrust against her, holding her gently against him as he did so. The song eventually morphed into another, and she turned, waving at Beth and Emma that she was going to go get a drink of water. Both nodded as they continued dancing, sweat slicking their forms as they both played to the attention of their partners.

She made her way through the crowd and went up to the bar, cocking her head at the bartender as he glanced over. She felt someone move close on her right side and scooted a bit to give the mystery person room.

"Water please," she said, drawing a nod from the tired looking barkeep.

"Can I buy you a drink?" the stranger beside her asked.

She turned and looked at him, seeing the same person that had been dancing with her minutes before.